Trunk-cover supporter



(No Model.)

W. S. 'SOULE. TRUNK COVER SUPPORTER.'

No. 243,734. Patented July 5, 1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. SOULE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TRUNK-COVER SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,734, dated July 5, 1881.

Application filed December 23, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. 80mm, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trunk-Cover Supporters; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawing, which shows one of my improved articles as applied to portions of the body and lid or cover of a trunk, and with reference to one of their hinges.

My said trunk-cover supporter consists, not only of a staple inserted in the trunk-cover at one end thereof, but of a wire hook extending through the staple and pivoted to the trunkbody, and having an elastic curved tongue, such as by its action against the staple will prevent the cover, when in a raised position nearly to a right angle to the body, from fall-' ing forward and down by its own weight, the hook determining the extent of upward movement of the cover, and readily admitting of such cover being either raised or depressed by manual power relatively to the body.

One great merit of my improved trunk-cover supporter consists in its simplicity and its easy application to a trunk.

In the drawing, A denotes the end portion of a trunk-body, and B the end portion of the cover, the two being shown as connected by a hinge, G.

The cover-supporter is represented at I) and E, the part E of it being a staple inserted in the trunk-cover, and the part I) being a wire hook, the shank a of which extends loosely through the staple, and at its lower end terminates in an eye, 12, that turns on a screw or pivot, a, inserted in the trunk-body part A, near the hinge, as represented. The hook at the upper portion of the wire has its tongue (I curved in manner as shown, the crown of the curve being disposed at a distance from the next adjacent part of the wire or hook less than the diameter of the wire of the staple. Furthermore, the tongue should be elastic, or

capable of being sprung either toward or away from the shank of the hook.

While the cover may be in the act of being elevated the wire hook will be turned upward and next backward, and will slide through the staple until the latter may bring up against the head of the hook, the tongue of the hook in the meantime springing away to allow the passage of the staple into the space between the tongue and shank of the hook. On the staple passing the crown of the tongue the tongue will, by its elasticity, be moved in up to or toward the shank of the hook, so as to operate to prevent, by its pressure against the staple, the accidental falling forward of the trunk-cover.

I am aware that a slotted and notched bar pivoted to a trunk-body and connected with the trunk-cover by a screw going through the slot of such bar is not new as a trunk-cover supporter; also, that two bars connected by a rule-joint have been used for a like purpose. I am also aware that'an inelastic hook provided with a stop-notch and pivoted to a trunklid and extended through a long loop or staples inserted in the trunk-body isnot new, such being as shown in the United States PatentNo. 97,649. I make no claim to such, as they require to be moved laterally by hand before the trunk-cover can be lowered, whereas with my cover-supporter no such manipulation becomes necessary, owing to the tongue of the hook being elastic.

What I claim as my invention is The trunk-cover supporter, substantially as described, consisting. of the staple and the curved elastic tongued hook, as explained, adapted to each other, and arranged, or to be arranged, with and applied to the cover and body of a trunk, essentially in manner as set forth.

WILLIAM S. SOULE.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, E. B. PRATT. 

